


Hailmary

by gigantisconcernacus



Category: Servamp (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Gen, Kidnapping, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Written Pre-Finale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-04-15 03:38:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14151120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigantisconcernacus/pseuds/gigantisconcernacus
Summary: After the C3 incident,  Kuro purposes the hailmary. Will it make them a stronger team or be their ruin?





	1. Nothing comes from nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First fanfiction, please bare with me. Slow updates. .. They will get put up eventually.   
> Thanks for reading!

The clock read 2:27AM.It was warm in the apartment and the hum of the heater could be heard as it started pushing out warm air. Kuro lay snuggled in his cat bed with his tail brought up to his nose. Having heightened senses, the smell the heater gave off was strong and unpleasant. The fur of his tail helped block the scent.  
His eyes became heavy and he yawned a jaw popping yawn. He slowly feel asleep for the third time that night, hoping there wouldn't be a fourth.  
As he opened his eyes, he groaned at his surroundings. He found himself in the collapsing C3 building again.  
Although the dream was built on his memory of that day, he was not sure what he would see this time. The first time, the memory was replayed exactly as he saw it, but the second was a bit different.  
It was a scenario where he had stayed with Mahiru rather than separate. The outcome of that dream was much more pleasant than reality, and he beat himself up over it. Had he stuck with him they could have fought Touma together, and Kuro believed they would've won.  
So far, this round started the same way the last one did. Mahiru was asking Kuro to trust him as he gently nudged his cat form towards the space in between some large bits of rubble from the collapsing building. The crack was just barely large enough for him to exit out the other side.  
It seems, in this scenario, he let Mahiru talk him into splitting up again.  
He closed his eyes and when they opened he saw Touma before him. It seems he was fast forwarded to his fight with the giant man. He was bruised all over from the multiple impacts. Kuro was at a serious disadvantage, not having his eve near or his blood to give him the edge he needed. Even so, Kuro was not expecting the fight to be this one sided. And to make matters worse, he smelled Mahiru's blood on his enemy.  
"What have you done with Mahiru?!"  
"I killed him? "  
Kuro dreaded this scene. He remembered the fear, confusion and hatred he felt the first time he heard it. He clenched his fists, but otherwise couldn't change the course the dream was taking. He felt his dark aura slowly rising again and thought the same thoughts from then.  
' This guy is bluffing' ' But I can smell his blood on him ' 'Mahiru is strong. I'm sure he escaped. ' 'But what if he didn't? ' 'There is a way to find out. ' 'But do I really want to know? ' 'I need to know. '  
"Lawless. "  
"Ni-san?"  
"Call my name. "  
"Sleepy A.."  
"Not that one. "  
Kuro waited for the name. Waited to feel the amazing relief he once felt. To know Mahiru was alive. That this Touma guy was full of it. He waited , but heard nothing.  
He looked back at his younger brother with confusion to see lawless ' mouth moving, but nothing coming out.  
The look of sadness on his brother's face said it all.  
If he couldn't hear the name Mahiru, his precious eve, gave him, than that could only man one thing: the contract was broken and Mahiru had died. He felt such great sadness he was paralyzed, staring into the Servamp of Greed's eyes. He was not aware of how long he just stood there. Then he heard Touma's dark chuckling.  
"So he finally kicked the bucket? What's with that reaction? Now you can form a new contract and mabye have a chance at defeating me. "  
As Touma talked, Kuro could feel himself getting angrier and angrier. Never had he felt such rage and blood lust towards a human. His dark aura became more prominent and dangerous by the second until he soon found himself drowning in it. He didn't care though. Let it take over. He was so far over the edge even his precious item jiggling and disintegrating under the pressure of his emotion charged black djinn engorged aura went unnoticed to dream Kuro.  
He opened his eyes with a gasp. He was back in his cat bed. He glanced at the clock. 4:06AM.  
He sat up and jumped onto Mahiru's bed. He padded over and stared intently at his currently snoring eve.  
Kuro was shaken and needed to see that Mahiru was still here, still alive.  
His focus strayed from his eve's face to his bandaged arm. Kuro felt it was all his fault. So many things could have changed. Fewer injuries, better results. And he guessed living his different fears, wants, expectations, and ' what if 's of that night was how he punished himself for not being more assertive and for not considering all the consequences.  
He leaped onto the sleeping boy's stomach and took a gander at his semi exposed chest. The apartment was getting pretty stuffy, so he assumed the blanket was shoved off when it got too warm. There were bandages and gauze situated on the right side of his chest. While the bullet was blocked, there was still a lot of damage from the blast. It was enchanted after all. And being enchanted, it was taking longer to heal.  
The servamp lay there, torturing himself with the results of his mistake until an idea came to mind. It would be risky, but he was not going to risk losing Mahiru in battle ever again.


	2. The table flew, so can you!

When Mahiru woke, he was surprised to see Kuro laying on his stomach. It was strange to catch him like this, mostly because the Servamp seemed very aloof lately. He didn't seem to notice he was awake and had a far off look in his slanted cat eyes. Mahiru hoped he wasn't thinking back to the C3 incident. His partner had the habit of dwelling on things far longer than he should, and as of late, his eyes would linger on Mahiru's injuries.That wasn't a good sign.  
Mahiru slowly lifted his uninjured arm and gingerly placed his hand on kuro's fur covered head, right in between his ears, and pet him. He started at the ceiling while his partner's eyes focused as he came back to reality.  
He was caught. What a pain. Kuro had honestly lost track of time. He thought long and hard the last few hours about this Servamp and eve trick the creator liked to call the 'hailmary'. He thought about the possible consequences, how to approach the subject with Mahiru and when exactly to do it if it was happening.  
The ' hailmary ' approach was seldom tried anymore do to it's risks. The fact that it has never been successful was also on his mind.  
Lawless and one of his previous eves had gotten the closest so he needed to speak with him soon. He should probably check in with All of Love also. He knew more on the subject than the rest of them.  
He gave a small meow as Mahiru pat him and stood on all fours. He jumped off his eve to let him up.  
Today was the day the cast comes off, so Mahiru was in a good mood. He held his arms up and asked Kuro to help with his shirt.  
"What a troublesome eve..." Kuro sighed as he transformed and grabbed the edges of his night shirt. He pulled upwards, turning the shirt inside out. Mahiru yanked his good arm out of the sleeve as his head came free. Kuro carefully pulled the whole shirt off from the bulky casted arm.  
The eve thanked him and went to the bathroom to get his morning shower in.  
He refused to allow his Servamp to help with his chest bandages. At first Kuro would help out, but the look on his usually bored face spoke volumes on how he felt when he saw the wound. So Mahiru refused to let him see it.  
He slowly pulled off the gauze and examined himself. The burns were still present and blistered. Where the skin wasn't an angry red or a sickly yellow it was purple from his bruised and broken ribs underneath. All in all, he thought it looked a little better than before. Not much, but still. This was taking much longer to heal than the rest of him.  
He stepped into the shower and was careful not to have the water too hot. He was glad his cast was waterproof. Otherwise showering would be difficult and rather uncomfortable.  
His arm healed remarkably fast and his doctor was shocked. His bone healed almost three times faster than normal, which came as a great relief to Mahiru, seeing the cast as a hindrance.  
Speaking of which, if he didn't hurry he might be late for his appointment. 

Kuro watched as his eve walked towards the bathroom to shower. He didn't ask the Servamp to help with the bandages again. This greatly troubled the vampire. It's not like he wants to see his mistakes covering Mahiru's chest in an array of colors, but it meant something that his eve trusted him with his injuries.  
He doubted the teen was suddenly self conscious. He was too simple and level headed for that. He didn't think Mahiru lust trust in him either. So then why? He hoped Mahiru wasn't doing this for him. Potentially compromising his health to spare kuro's feelings was something the troublesome eve would feel compelled to do.  
After Mahiru's shotty job of patching himself up yesterday, Kuro was determined to step in. He would sit on the eve if he had to. He would never forgive himself if Mahiru worsened his injury to spare his Servamp the guilt.  
So he listened as the shower turned off and used his enhanced hearing to determine when his partner was decent enough for him to enter and make his case.  
He heard the sound of a wet towel meeting the floor and the rustle of clothing material. The sound of a zipper. Now was the optimal time. Kuro marched to the bathroom and opened the door. Mahiru sat on the toilet lid with his pants on and a shocked look on his face. He made moves to cover his chest with his casted arm to prevent Kuro from seeing his colorful injury.  
"Kuro, what are you doing in here? I could have been naked!"  
"Ahh... What a pain. I'm helping whether you like it or not. "  
Mahiru gave Kuro an unsure frown. He could really use the help. Patching himself up with one hand was extremely difficult and it looked like crap. But Kuro was clearly uncomfortable with it. He really didn't like the complicated situation he was in. In between a rock and a hard place.  
Kuro swiftly lined all the ointments, gauze and medical tape on the sink within reach and squatted in front of Mahiru. He scooted forward some so he was positioned in between the boy's legs so he was close enough to work. He gently pushed the casted arm aside.  
Kuro did say whether he liked it or not so he acquiesced. He leaned back to give nurse Kuro better access.  
That expression was back on the Servamp's face and Mahiru immediately regretted letting Kuro have his way. 

The burns didn't look much better and were blistering. He took in every detail. Being a vampire, he saw everything in such a defined way that everything stood out. All the damage. He could see the puss filed pockets that were too small for the naked eye to see that would soon grow in size to be large blisters. He saw the damaged and fringed layers of burnt skin. He saw the multiple shades of blue and purple indicating where his bruised healing ribs were.  
He didn't notice his change in expression.  
Had Tsurugi not been there or had decided not to help, Mahiru would be dead. And he just couldn't forgive himself for not being there. For not taking that bullet.  
He gently rubbed the ointments over the damaged skin, internally wincing when Mahiru groaned in pain. He placed gauze over his finished work and secured it with medical tape. He helped Mahiru into a clean shirt, avoiding eye contact all the while. 

Mahiru continued to sit there, staring at his knees, even as Kuro left the bathroom. The eve hated seeing his Servamp like this; seeing him wallowing in regret again. It hurt to know that it was his own fault. If he had been a stronger eve, more careful, he might not have been this injured. If he hadn't insisted on going by himself, Kuro would have been by his side. The way Mahiru saw it, none of the fault lay with Kuro.  
But he refused to wallow. What happened happened. It would be simpler to move on and keep things together. One of them had to.  
"Hey Kuro..." Mahiru called from the bathroom.The servamp hummed loudly in response from the direction of the kitchen. After a moment of silence from the teen, Kuro came over to stand in the bathroom door way. Mahiru then stood up, and shuffled over. He could feel kuro's eyes watching him with mild curiosity as he approached him. Standing before his Servamp, he placed his forehead on his broad chest and leaned in, earning himself a surprised noise from said vampire.  
"There is no need for you to feel guilty over my mistakes. "The eve sighed. Kuro stiffened, but otherwise didn't move. Mahiru brought his head up and flashed a large sunshine filled smile. "Thinking simply, if we work harder and become a stronger team we can avoid situations like this. " With a smile of that caliber directed at him, all his negative emotions drained from him. "So troublesome... let's hurry before we're late. " Mahiru nodded, stepping away from Kuro, still smiling. The cast came off without incident. Mahiru had regained full mobility of his arm.The doctor was shocked to say the least. Kuro was very amused at his dumbfounded expressions. Afterwards Kuro requested they got to the Alicien Mansion. As you can imagine, this was pretty weird. The Servamp of sloth, known for being an introvert, was requesting to visit his brothers and their eves at Lily's makeshift orphanage. Mahiru's jaw about hit the floor. Once they arrived and got settled, Kuro called Lily and Hyde to talk privately in another room from the eves. "Ni-san, what's with all the attention? Now that I'm getting it I'm not sure how to react. " Lawless had a stupid grin on his face as he poked at Sleepy Ash. "This must be pretty important if you came here just to speek with us. " All of Love looked to his elder brothers with a rather serious expression. Lawless caught on and gave his undivided attention to the eldest. It was rare for Sleepy Ash to ask for help or discuss his personal feelings with them, so this had to be important. Both younger brothers silently thanked Mahiru for helping Sleepy Ash out of his shell enough to do this. "What a pain... it's about the 'hailmary' method. " Lawless and All of Love had different reactions. The youngest brother inspected a crack in the floor tile, looking rather shaken. The others eyes actually glistened hopefully. "I actually wanted to bring it up too! Angel-chan and I are close enough now that I feel confident we can do it! His resolve is unreal, and he already says he hates me, so even if it doesn't work, nothing will change between us." As Lawless spoke of his eve, his features changed to express pride and affection. Sleepy Ash had to agree with his comment. If anyone could finally be successful, it would be those two. If only because Licht had such determination. "I wanted to bring it up with All of Love before hand to make sure he was ok with it, and to get any extra information I might need. " Sleepy Ash and Lawless looked expectantly at their brother, waiting for any kind of response. He eventually looked up to them and flashed a sad smile. "You don't need my permission to give it a try. I understand where you're coming from, but this is your decision. I only ask that you make it wisely. "


	3. Either way, you won't be going thirsty

When the sloth pair finally made it home, the sun was already just shy of being set, painting the sky in an array of orange and pink. It was still too bright out for Kuro to retain his human form, so he sat perched on Mahiru's shoulder. He was careful to sit on his left one. 

They entered the threshold, and once out of the door way Kuro transformed in a puff of smoke. They toed their shoes off and Mahiru hung the keys on the hook nailed by the door. 

While Mahiru went to the kitchen, presumably to make tea, Kuro sat on the couch contemplating how best to bring up his idea to the eve. As Mahiru would say, simple was probably best, but not only was this kind of embarrassing, it was also something Kuro himself wasn't 100% behind yet. He was sure the kid would probably be all for it... something along the lines of being able to do more and protecting people from Tsubaki's hoard of day walkers. But Kuro needed it to be very clear that there were risks, very serious ones, and what he was proposing shouldn't be attempted unless both parties were prepared. Even so, he could already imagine exactly how Mahiru was going to respond. He knew him well enough to put money on the line. No wait, scratch that. Ramen on the line. 

He would give the "we're partner's" and "saving humanity" and "we have to do something" schpiel with some "thinking simply" thrown in. 

Start your bets! 

"So Kuro, you gonna tell me what's up? "

Mahiru had come over to sit beside Kuro on the couch. He brought one leg on the couch, bent comfortably, and left the other hanging off the couch as he faced the stone faced vampire. He looked surprised to be found out. If Mahiru hadn't of had such a connection with Kuro he wouldn't have noticed the slight change in expression. But Mahiru had mastered recognizing the subtle way the Servamp showed low-key emotions. 

"Don't think I didn't notice how secretive you were with your brothers today, or how you kept putting on your thinking face. "  
"Ahh... can't deal..."

He was found out. Now he had to being it up. He hadn't even figured it all out yet. And thinking face? He didn't have one of those did he? His eve was just too perceptive. So troublesome he could die. And if Mahiru's foot gripping was anything to go by, he was really anxious to know. 

But should he really tell him? Is this really a good idea? 

Wait, no. He trusted Mahiru. At the very least he should tell him about it. He'll hear it from Lawless and his eve anyway...

"You're so troublesome I could die..."  
I'm scared.  
"I'm not sure yet if I should tell you..."  
This could ruin everything.  
"It's dangerous..."  
You could die.  
"It's never been successfully done anyway..."  
I don't want to risk it now.  
"Never mind. Forget about it. "  
I don't want to risk you. 

Mahiru could practically hear the turmoil in his Servamp's head. Kuro got up from the couch and went to leave the room, but was stopped by a firm yet gentle hand on his wrist.  
"Is this about the 'hailmary' thing? "

Kuro froze. To say he was surprised was an understatement. He was down right shocked. This was definitely not low-key. It was as plain as the nose on his face.  
"How did you know?!"

At this point Kuro seriously wondered if his eve was psychic.  
"Licht told me. He and Hyde are gonna try it out tonight. Licht seemed happy about it. Not so much on the outside, but I could tell on the inside. "

Damn Lawless' eve! Right when he decided against it the universe had to step in and change things. CURSE YOU UNIVERSE!! Kuro mentally made a note to watch He-Man later. Just to spite the universe. 

"What a pain... how much did he tell you? "

Mahiru placed his free hand back on his foot and glanced at the ceiling, humming.  
"Hmm... not much. Just that it was a sort of bonding exercise that gives power ups to both Servamp and eve. I think he mentioned something about it being risky, but that he was an angel and would be fine."

Mahiru looked at their hands, still gripping kuro's wrist.  
"Can I let go without you running off? "  
With his nod, Mahiru let go and watched as Kuro sat back down on the couch in his previous spot, only this time twisting to face the eve. 

"Well you tell me more about it so I can have a better understanding?"  
Kuro looked Mahiru up and down, deciding what to do. Mahiru probably wouldn't let it go. And if he doesn't hear it from him, he will likely hear it from Lawless or his eve. Both of which will sugar coat the process, totally skipping all the risks and down points. 

But then again, this was Mahiru. Kind, considerate, and caring. He has waited for Kuro to come clean many times before and continues to do so. 

And Mabye Mahiru's opinion on the matter will be eye opening. This could also be his chance to find out what his eve truly thinks of him. Everyone had a hidden agenda. Even Mahiru. 

But he knows Mahiru won't force him into it. 

Gah!! This is such a pain!

Mahiru patiently waited for kuro's decision. His thinking face was kind of cute. He would absent mindedly worry his bottom lip, minding the fangs of course, with a far off look in his red eyes, currently hidden behind his powder blue bangs.

It was kind of worrying that Kuro put so much thought and consideration into his decision. 

Licht told him more about the 'hailmary' than he claimed he had. It revolved around trust. If Kuro was this hesitant, than that must mean either Kuro didn't trust him completely or he doubted Mahiru's trust in him. That would mean they weren't on the same page at all, because Mahiru trusted Kuro with his everything and believed Kuro trusted him too. There could be more reasons than that, but he liked simple. Most things were really simple. So, thinking simply, those were the options. 

When Kuro had decided, he broke out of his reverie to see Mahiru staring at his foot on the couch cushion, his hands clenched around it. He wore a sad, almost disappointed expression. 

It was nice to know that Mahiru was an open book. You usually saw what he felt through his facial expressions and body language very easily. But everything his face and body said right then was confusing. Whatever emotion his eve was feeling, Kuro could feel it building up inside through the bond. 

The words "he doesn't trust me" traveled from Mahiru's end of the invisible tether. Ahh crap. He knew more than he let on. It made sense why he was upset now. Gosh darn in Lawless! Reel in your eve! 

"Ill tell you. "  
Mahiru snapped his head up.  
"Huh?"  
Kuro repeated himself. Mahiru's face lit up, all negativity gone.  
"Really? "  
Kuro nodded, trying not to be blinded by happy Mahiru rays.  
"Yeah, but in here. " Kuro tapped his own forehead. 

Mahiru, still smiling, pulled up the leg hanging off the couch to sit criss cross and leaned forward a little. He dimmed the smile some to come off as encouraging, waiting patiently for Kuro to begin. 

Kuro sat there silently a moment, gathering himself, then leaned in to flick Mahiru on his forehead. The eve then slumped forward into his Servamp's ready arms, knocked out. Kuro followed after. 

They woke in a dark room with nothing visible but a little black cat standing on its hind legs. Mahiru recognized it as the creature in kuro's head. His ' power', if he remembered correctly. It led them to a place that was a little less dark with pillows littering the floor. Mahiru still couldn't make out their surrounding. 

The cat motioned for them to sit down. When Kuro did, it waddled over to sit in his lap, much like a child would it's parent. Once it was comfortable, they both began explaining in turns with monotone voices. 

"The 'hailmary' was initially created to help lengthen a Servamp's time with their eve by making the eve sturdier, stronger, healthier, and better connected to their Servamp."

"The man that created us used All of Love and his first eve to develop this through experimentation that ended up killing his eve. That's why All of Love made the decision he made with the C3 request. He didn't want any of us to go through what he did fire the sake of that man's research. "  
Kuro had a scowl playing along his lips as he explained, clenching his fists. He continued:

"The method is mainly centered around trust and acceptance, more so the eve's trust in his Servamp than vice versa. If the trust between them is shaken on either side, there are serious consequences."

"These were put in place so an eve cannot obtain more power without earning it. It's a safety precaution, so evil or untrustworthy eves don't attempt to take over the world or whatever nonsense. " Black cat giggled loudly. Kuro spoke over it:

"Because of this, no eve or Servamp pair had ever been successful. Even if the eves trust their Servamps and are good people, it is only natural to fear a predator. We are wolves while you are rabbits. The second step of the process of initiating the hailmary challenges eves in that aspect. The rabbit has to overcome their natural fear of being eaten by the wolf. "

Black cat stopped giggling and picked the explanation up:

"A Servamp pushing their eve too far during this step will ruin their relationship and cause their contract to end, if you get what I mean. An eve that forces their Servamp's hand gets eaten. " 

Black cat started giggling at the word ' eaten'.

"When a pair trusts in each other and respects the others wishes to stop, there are no permanent repercussions." Kuro added in. 

"But Servamps even to this day shy away from this because they grow to care deeply for their eves and don't want then in that kind of position. "

Kuro looked directly in Mahiru's eyes and said slowly, 

"Even if all the trust is there, things could still go wrong. "

Mahiru took in all the information thoughtfully.  
"Is that all? "

"No. There is also acceptance. The three steps to completing the ' hailmary ' have acceptances. These are very important in strengthening the bond. In reality there is really only one step to the hailmary, but without the acceptances the relationship would fall apart. Any and every eve, whether good or bad, would be capable of the hailmary. You see the problem with that, yes?"

Mahiru nodded. 

"The eve has to accept the Servamp as an equal living being, a vampire, and as a man (except on wrath's case). Acceptance as an equal living being is like the entrance exam. If an eve can't even do that much than the 'hailmary ' is our of the question. Acceptance as a vampire is the true step that will challenge both parties. To protect the relationship, this also had a sort of entrance exam. The final acceptance, acceptance as a man, is a secret about Servamps only successful outcomes can know."

Kuro took a deep breath and nodded to himself in congratulations. 

Mahiru smiled fondly at Kuro. He had just done two things for him that he would never had done earlier in their relationship. The lazy ass vampire had grown so much as a person that Mahiru couldn't help but be extremely proud. 

"Thank you Kuro, for explaining this to me and entrusting me with some of your past. I'm not sure you realize just how much talking you did. It's amazing. I'm truly very proud of you Kuro. "

His face flashed a light pink color as he shyly turned his face away to avoid Mahiru's eyes.  
"Sleepy Ash is happy! Very happy! Very happy!" The small black cat chanted in a sing song voice. Kuro flushed even brighter. 

"I can understand why you put as much thought into this as you did. Thinking simply, I think we have what it takes. But I will respect your decision if you don't want to risk it. I won't trust you any less or think of you differently. But whenever, if ever, you feel confident enough to try, all you have to do is say so. " He finished with a bright smile and stood up to investigate the dark space in kuro's head they were still in. 

Kuro sat there, starstruck.  
There Mahiru went again, surprising him in a most pleasant way. This kid was more than he deserved. No other eve, even his own siblings, ever showed such honest kindness and patience. When they did, it was out of fear. But here his latest eve was, just being himself, the exact person Kuro needed in his life. Mabye they could do it. Mabye Mahiru could overcome the step, and if not, he would make sure they stopped before anything bad happened. He could do this and he had to believe his partner would be ok too. 

He could feel the black cat's eyes on him and could practically see the smirk contort its stitched mouth. 

"Hey Mahiru... This is so troublesome I could die, but... let's try it. "


	4. Wings of wax

Mahiru found himself pinned down to his apartments hardwood floor by his Servamp. Kuro's hands were placed at either side of his head while he straddled him. 

The position would have been embarrassing and awkward had it not been for the serious atmosphere. 

Kuro looked down into Mahiru's eyes, searching for the determination he knew was there. Upon finding it, he said:

"You have passed the first acceptance, having never treated me as an object or lesser being. "

Mahiru nodded, keeping completely composed and concentrated. 

"Now we start the test to see if you can handle the true step to the 'hailmary', acceptance as a vampire. Wouldn't want to rush in and cause avoidable damage."

Without explaining any further, Kuro sank down lower on the eve so his face was right beside the boy's neck. A low grumble escaped from the Servamp. 

"This is where a human's carotid artery lies. Any damage done to it typically results in the human bleeding out within minutes. It is the most tempting spot on a human's body for vampires. What a pain. Just don't move."

Hell of a place to leave off Kuro. 

The vampire nuzzled said artery, occasionally rubbing his teeth against the skin. 

Given the information Kuro gave, Mahiru could see why some eves never got past this. The Servamp seemed to revel in this little weakness. Kuro had all the control and could end him right then and there. 

As you can imagine, this thought process was like a slow acting poison. Mahiru knew that and stamped all negativity out of his mind. This was about trust, so thinking simply, he just had to trust his lazy cat to not kill him. And he did. He really did. So there he lay, staring at the ceiling, letting Kuro go to town. 

Kuro, on the other hand, was having some difficulty. He wasn't lying to Mahiru when he said the artery was tempting, and it was driving him crazy. The smell was always subtle before, but being this close in this kind of position made it impossible for him to deny he wanted it. He wanted it so bad he could practically taste the sweet, coppery, familiar taste. But the idea of this for him was to show restraint, to not give in to the basic need and desire for his master's blood. 

In all honesty, he felt sickened at his lust for this boy's blood. It just reminded him that he was just a disgusting monster. Something mothers would warn their children about to get them to behave. Having Mahiru around telling him otherwise made him believe that maybe, just mabye, he was something better. But this instinctual desire to rip open this human's throat and take all his blood for himself was his reality check. 

He was a monster. And the sheer determination and trust running through his eve's veins made everything so much more tempting. The only thing keeping him from taking even the smallest amount was the promise of indulgence soon to come. He just had to hold out. 

He noticed how well Mahiru was taking the situation. He knew how stubborn the eve could be, but even big tough men would freak about being held in this position. At the least a "Kuro what are you doing?!" or a "Kuro this is weird..." or something was expected, but not this stoic calm reaction. It really humbled the Servamp that his eve placed so much trust in him, even though he was a monster. This really was more than he deserved. 

Kuro pulled away from the boy's neck, not without great effort, and said quietly, 

"You have passed. Now we can move on to the true step of the 'hailmary'. Are you ready? "

Flashback

"During the true stage, the Servamp well need to take a sizable amount of blood from the eve. The eve will need to keep his emotions neutral or positive, as it well affect the will in his blood. " Kuro explained. 

Black cat went after.  
"The Servamp will then give the mixed blood in his body to the eve. The ratio between vampire and human blood in the eve's body is very important. It should be around 30/70. Since an eve cannot become a subclass, they will remain human, but will gain strength and stamina boost along with other new skills. "

"However", Kuro said lowly, "if the will/emotion from the eve's blood is negative, the eve's body will not accept the blood. Meaning that you would be poisoned by your own blood and die or would die from blood loss as your body tries to expel the tainted blood."

The small black cat held its arm stubs to its face as an impossibly wide smile stretched across it's stitched face and giggled. 

"The eve's body will send warnings through the bond that tell the Servamp when to stop taking blood."

Its giggling grew in volume. 

"But if a Servamp isn't listening, well he hear it?"

Flashback End

Mahiru took a deep breath, eyes closed, and nodded his ok.  
"I'm ready when you are."

Kuro watched as Mahiru prepared himself and copied his procedure, hoping it would help to settle his nerves. Everything was riding on his ability to restrain himself. But what if he couldn't? What if he wasn't able to hear the bonds warning and accidentally killed Mahiru? Who would be there to help him through his guilt if not him? He would be responsible for taking this amazing, once in a life time, housewife of a boy away from the world. Could he really live with tha...

His mind suddenly went blank when he felt a hand run through his soft blue hair. 

"Hey Kuro, you're starting to worry me. Are you sure you are ready? Because if not, we can stop. I won't force you into doing something you aren't ready for."

The Servamp looked away, solemn expression on his face. He was still straddling Mahiru, so every expression that crossed his face and tensing of muscles was noticed by said eve. 

Mahiru gave a bright, warm smile full of encouragement. 

"Kuro, look at me."

He reluctantly did. And what his eve said to him next was so simple, but the way he said it, it carried so much meaning. 

"I have faith in you." He resumed combing through the vampires hair with his hand. "Have some in yourself. You'd be amazed at what you can do with a little confidence."

It never ceased to amaze him the ease with which Mahiru said such powerful things. Things that made him feel powerful when he was weak, glad even when he was sad, and optimistic in the most hopeless of situations. Mahiru was all that and a bag of chips, and didn't even realize it. 

And then he ruined it. 

"Is the big bad thousand year old vampire chicken?"  
He had that stupid smirk on his face and a troublesome glint in his eye. What a pain. Kuro was already taking his thoughts back. 

Mahiru squeaked when Kuro pushed his weight down on the eve.  
"Ah haha! I'm sorry Kuro! Just trying to lighten the mood!" He gasped out. 

Kuro sighed and took some weight off.  
"You're so troublesome I could die."

He leaned down again and started nuzzling the opposite side of his neck from before, deciding where was best to bite. Having found his spot, he mumbled a warning that he was about to start. 

Mahiru swallowed the last of his nerves down and took another deep breath, relaxing as best he could. He could feel Kuro's warm breath and pointed canines against his skin. ' Here it comes. Don't tense don't tense ' he chanted to himself. 

Then the teeth dug in. Pain shot through Mahiru, but he bit it down, only letting out a pained grunt. The moment Kuro began drinking, the pain began to slowly lessen. 

He could feel Kuro's trembling so he brought up his hand again to gently run it through his hair in a soothing manner. He knew how much Kuro despised what he was and refused to drink blood unless it was necessary. This must truly be weighing down on whatever confidence or self pride that was left in him. But right now Mahiru needed to stay positive. He would help Kuro through this obstacle like before and thinking simply it should all work out in the end. 

Stay positive. He could do this. Even though this was kind of scary. He would be fine. Kuro was with him after all. Think about something fun. ... uh cooking. Yeah. What would be nice for dinner after this? Mahiru kept busy trying to keep negative thoughts and emotions away. 

Kuro was shaking from the pure pleasure and power he received from Mahiru's blood. He felt so energized and good that he believed he could take on the world like this and come out the victor. This blood was like a drug he never wanted to give up. 

He felt Mahiru's hand run through his hair and that helped ground him. He slowed the pace at which he was drinking. But the more he drank, the sweeter the blood became and soon he found himself recklessly drinking, despite the hand on his head. 

He got so into it, he repositioned himself to be in between Mahiru's legs and pulled the both of them into a sitting position, never once releasing his eve's neck. He wrapped Mahiru's legs around his waist and crossed his own for the eve to sit on. He then possessively gripped Mahiru's waist and held him close to his body. Kuro never even realized he had done it. 

Mahiru was beginning to feel the effects of blood loss. His vision kept blurring and he felt light headed. Gradually he lost feeling in his arms and legs. It was becoming painful to breath and he could feel every beat of his heart. He tried to say something, anything, to Kuro, but his voice wouldn't work. Until finally, his world turned to black. 

Kuro kept at it in a wondrous daze. For some reason, his little black demon cat was there, giggling his head off. He didn't pay him any mind though. Given the option of dealing with it or enjoying Mahiru's blood, the choice was obvious. 

What Kuro didn't notice though, was that the bond on Mahiru's side was screaming. The little demon certainly heard it, and attempted to drown it out with its manic giggling. The screaming grew louder, more desperate, and still Kuro could not hear it. He was so engrossed in the blood and the experience that he never bothered to try and listen for it. 

It wasn't until Mahiru's hand dropped from his head that Kuro snapped or of his funk. Mahiru's body was slumped on his, and only them did he realize the position they were in. A quiet scream could be heard in his head along with his demon's cackling.

"I warned you. I warned you. You weren't listening. Now you've killed him."  
The creature sang in a monotone voice, but held a stitch ripping Cheshire cat smile across its face.  
"You've killed him! You've killed him! "  
It chanted over and over again. 

Kuro instantly detached his fangs from his unconscious eve's neck. His face was pale and his skin wasn't as warm as before. What have I done? What have I done?! He was still hugging Mahiru in the same position, so he held him a little away. His head hung low when it was removed from the Servamp's shoulder. Kuro placed his ear on his chest, listening for a heart beat. 

Ba dump... ba dump... ba dump

Kuro sighed in relief, a lump forming in his throat. 

"Can't deal."

Mahiru's breath was coming in shallow pants. Kuro was running out of time. He carefully slid the eve off his lap and leaned him up against the side of the couch, still on the floor. He bit into his own wrist roughly, tearing through the layers of skin and muscle, and placed his bloody mess of an arm over Mahiru's lips. He tilted his chin up so the blood would travel down. 

Every time his wrist healed, Kuro would repeat the process until Mahiru eventually woke up. 

Until then, Kuro sulked, wallowed, and agonized. He had almost killed his own eve! How could he? Why wasn't he paying attention? Why? Why? Why?! He was weak willed, disgusting, a monster. That demon cat was also to blame.This should never had happened! Damn it! 

Suddenly, Mahiru's breathing hitched and he started coughing on the blood running down his throat. Kuro quickly removed his arm and gave the eve his undivided attention. Blood ran down his pale chin and stained the light colored shirt he wore. 

Mahiru cracked open his eyes, revealing a startling red color. All his pretty browns in his eyes were gone. He had the eyes of a monster. The eve just sat and stared at nothing with a ' not all there ' look to him. 

"Mahiru? "  
Kuro called quietly. 

Slowly, the boy turned his head to look at the Servamp. He looked drugged and didn't make a single sound. After a moment, he turned his head back to where it was and continued staring into nothingness. 

This seriously troubled Kuro. He was grateful Mahiru was alive, but clearly something here wasn't right. Internally, he was freaking out. He broke his eve! 

Without taking his eyes off the boy, Kuro grabbed around for Mahiru's phone until his hand found it. He briefly glanced at the phone to find lawless' contact information. Once the phone started dialing, he returned his attention to his eve. He hadn't moved at all. He brought the cellphone to his ear when he heard it be answered. 

Lawless said cheerily, "what's up Ni-san?"

Kuro hesitated a moment. 

"I think I broke Mahiru."


	5. Flown too close to the sun

Kuro intently observed Mahiru. He really hadn't moved much, nor said anything. His eyes were interesting though. They would go from red to brown, back to red every few minutes. It was sort of a bleeding effect, like when dye is added to water. It was beautiful really, but Kuro was at a loss for what it signified. 

The doorknob turned and Lawless pushed through the door, Angel Chan trailing behind him. Kuro gave them the quiet sign before they had a chance to say anything. They caught on and quietly came over to see what had the Servamp of sloth so worried. 

Mahiru was now staring at his own hands, but not really looking at them. It was almost like sleep walking, minus the walking. 

Angel Chan went to squat a little ways in front of him and called his name. Mahiru looked up at him with the same ' not all there ' look. His eyes were in the middle of the transition from brown to red. This seemed to trouble Licht as he waved Lawless over to see. 

Mahiru turned to look at Lawless. His eyes were now completely red. After a minute, his eyes started transitioning back to brown and he brought his attention back to his own hands. 

"I've never seen this before. Lichtan didn't do this after the exchange. Did anything go wrong ni-san?"

The Servamp of sloth looked away guiltily. His countenance instantly darkened, but not in the scary, mad Sleepy Ash way. 

He said in a choked voice,  
"I lost control..." His voice cracked.  
"I couldn't hear it..." His bangs covered his eyes and his hands clenched into shaking fists.  
"He was screaming through the bond... and I..." He brought his knee up and leaned his forehead against it, arms wrapping tightly. 

"I couldn't hear it..."

Lawless got down on the floor to Sleepy Ash's level and gave him a comforting hug, crying loudly. He couldn't really control it since it was part of his personality change when his item broke, so Kuro couldn't blame him. It was like he was crying the tears Kuro himself refused to, our mabye couldn't, cry.

Angel Chan didn't comment on it like he usually would. He was watching Mahiru, who had seemed to snap out of his daze. He was sending a very tender, proud, momahiru smile at the hugging brothers. And then it was gone and he was reverted back to a vegetable, his eyes changing to red. 

So Mahiru was still in there, and he told the Servamps as much. 

"Mahiru is an angel in training, so he will pull through. How do I know this? Because..." Licht struck his signature pose, "I'm an angel."

Hyde started fawning over Licht like usual and received a well aimed kick in the face. They began arguing about something stupid and ' shit rat' was thrown around quite often. 

Kuro scooted over to sit beside Mahiru, still on the floor. He wanted to test what Angel Chan saw, so he waited until his irises bled brown. When they did, Kuro tapped Mahiru's shoulder and pointed at the greed pair. Vegetable Mahiru followed the finger and watched as they argued. He did nothing for a moment, then frowned. 

"You guys better not make a mess."

Kuro's eyes could not have been wider. He glanced at the greed pair to see they were dumbstruck as well. So he hadn't imagined it. His annoying housewife of an eve really was still in there, and by the looks of it, still kicking. But when his eyes came to rest on Mahiru again, he saw a vegetable. 

"We should get All of Love here. He might know what this is."

All three nodded in agreement and made the call using Licht's phone. 

Unbeknownst by his three friends making the phone call, vegetable Mahiru began silently weeping blood. He had looked down, examining his hands again, watching without seeing, as the blood fell onto his palms. 

He didn't react when his Servamp snatched his hands and searched for the cause.

He didn't react when his Servamp took his chin in his hand and lifted his face up so the rest of the audience could see. 

He didn't react when his shoulders were roughly being shook. But the blood kept coming and coming. 

Kuro growled, causing Licht to stop shaking vegetable Mahiru. He took hold of Mahiru's chin and turned his face to and fro, watching his eyes bleed out strange smelling blood, with a pained expression. 

He had done this. The simple thing to do was apologize, even though he knew it would never be enough.  
"Mahiru, I'm so so so sorry."

Kuro released his chin and looked away from him, unable to bare the sight anymore. 

"Sloth!!" Licht whisper yelled, and having the Servamps of sloth's attention pointed at Mahiru. 

Kuro reluctantly followed the finger, and saw his eve's bloody hand slowly reaching out towards his face. Kuro looked from the hand to Mahiru's face to the greed pair and back again. Every so slowly the hand was placed on the side of Kuro's face. It was still for a moment, then softly have comforting pats to his cheek. 

Kuro could feel the blood under Mahiru's hand on his face, slick and warm, and felt it smear when the hand fell away. 

Mahiru didn't show any emotion whatsoever in that whole exchange. 

He looked to his brother and saw him nod in silent confirmation.

With both Lawless and his eve's help, Mahiru was hoisted onto Kuro's back. They locked the apartment up and began walking towards the arranged spot where Dodo, the Alicien driver, would pick them up.

The group stood in the dark shadow of a tall building, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. The likelihood of someone else being out and about this late at night was slim, but better safe than sorry. 

They had been waiting for Dodo, the driver, for about ten minutes at the designated spot. Kuro was beginning to suspect that he was being held up by an accident or something. 

Mahiru didn't do anything of note throughout the walk, but Kuro was sure there was still blood seeping from his eyes. It was starting to go through his jacket where his eve had his face burrowed in his shoulder. 

The silence from both Mahiru and the bond they shared was really strange. It was too quiet. And in the silence, Kuro's mind only increased in volume. It was so troublesome. He needed to do something, anything, so the voices and thoughts would become less apparent. 

So he focused on his surroundings with frightening clarity. His eyes darted to every potential hiding place, every dark corner, and to any thing that moved abruptly. 

He reasoned that now would be the optional time for Tsubaki's followers to attempt to get revenge, seeing as only half of their group had any real fighting power. At present, Lawless was useless and Mahiru was clearly tapped out, leaving only Licht and Kuro with fighting ability. They would have to protect the other two on top of protecting themselves. 

But then, a familiar scent drifted to Kuro on the light breeze. Then footsteps. Closer. Closer. 

Green hair came around the corner. Ah what a pain. 

Sakuya, Mahiru's best friend and Tsubaki's subclass, was conveniently taking a stroll at the worst possible time. 

He didn't seem to notice them and continued walking his path, until

"Get the hell off of me you filthy demon! "  
Lawless was kicked away. Kuro face palmed.  
"But I was just trying to keep you warm Angel cakes! "  
Hyde whined loudly.  
"Don't call me that shit rat!" Licht kicked him in the gut.  
"But Angel babe..."  
"That either! " BAM! Right in the kisser. 

That definitely got Greenie's attention. Kuro watched as Sakuya turned towards them. It looked like he was intending to ignore them and move on as he began to turn away, but stopped suddenly. Sakuya did a double take, and began storming towards them. 

 

Sakuya had caught sight of Mahiru on sloth's back. He didn't know the Servamp very well, but enough to know that piggy back rides from that slothful creature were not cheap. Either Mahiru bribed him with some serious ramen stock, or the eve of sloth was seriously injured. Since Mahiru was Mahiru, he bet it was the latter. 

He started running over to the group. The closer he got, the more potent the smell of blood. But it wasn't like Mahiru's typical blood smell. There was something stronger, darker to it. 

He paused that train of thought when he was blocked by the greed pair. 

Kuro hung back, watching carefully for any advances he might take. He situated his body so Sakuya had an extremely limited view of Mahiru. But the smell. He knew something was up. 

"What's wrong with Mahiru?! Why does his blood smell weird?! What have you done sloth?! Let me see him!"

Sakuya tried pushing through the Hyde/Licht barrier, but was sent flying backwards from a kick courtesy of one Angel Chan. 

The subclass emerged from his crater in the side of a building and stumbled up to them. 

"Please, just let me see him! He promised to free me! Please! I need to know he'll be ok."

Hyde and Licht looked to Kuro questioningly. Kuro nodded after a moment, and the Hyde/Licht barrier opened to let Sakuya through. 

Kuro knew he would probably regret this later, but Mahiru was this guys savior just as much as he was his.But even so, Kuro was prepared to beat this brat within an inch of his life if he made a wrong move. 

The area was darkened, making it difficult to see without getting close, so Sakuya went up to sloth cautiously. With his vampire eyes he could see blood soaking through the Servamp's blue jacket as its smell permeated the air. 

Sakuya was getting more worried by the second. With each step closer he noticed more worrisome things.  
Mahiru seemed to be unconscious, as he hasn't moved or reacted at all to him. His blood stank of vampire. Sloth was tense, but not running him to a hospital. And he looked guilty. Really, really guilty. He refused to make eye contact with Sakuya, and had on a troublesome expression rather than his default boredom. 

He stopped when he reached sloth's side and looked over Mahiru slumped on his Servamp's back. He called Mahiru's name in a sweet, concerned voice. Ever so slowly, Mahiru's head rolled so he was facing the direction of his voice. What Sakuya saw made him grit his teeth and clench his fists. 

He was so pale that the bloody tears rolling down his face glowed in contrast. His red eyes seemed to be looking through him rather than at him. There was no spark of recognition in his eyes or anything. This was not Mahiru. This was a lifeless doll left in his place. 

Sakuya placed his hand atop Mahiru's shoulder.  
"Oh Mahiru,"he sighed sadly. "What have they done to you?"

He knew sloth heard him, but the Servamp didn't say anything, let alone defend himself. 

This was why he didn't want his best friend involving himself with vampires. He knew this sweet kid would be hurt and betrayed by them. And here he was, fading away, clinging to the very monster that stripped him of everything he once was.

A black limo came screeching down the road, making a sudden stop alongside the side walk they stood by. A tinted window rolled down and Dodo's familiar head popped out. 

"Sorry I'm late. Huuuuge accident couple miles back."

Kuro finally meet Sakuya's glance.  
"We're taking him to a specialist of sorts. 'Thinking simply ' ", he sighed, "he should be able to help."

The three of them filed into the limo, leaving Sakuya standing there alone in the night. He watched as they struggled with getting Mahiru in comfortably, and an idea came to him. 

Sakuya went to scheming as he went his way, engine revving and tires squealing as the limo sped off.


	6. I am a cat

When they arrived at the mansion, All of Love and his eve were waiting outside by the huge front doors. Kuro's brother looked rather saddened and anxious while Misono sported a scowl with his arms crossed. 

The group piled out of the limo, carefully positioning Mahiru on Kuro's back. 

Dodo, the driver, drove off into the night, leaving them standing in the Alicien driveway. 

They walked up to the lust pair in silence, Lawless bringing up the rear. The doors opened, seemingly on their own. Misono welcomed them inside and led them to a room down the checkered hallway. 

Throughout the walk, he noticed that Misono kept glancing at him and the boy he carried on his back with worried and angry eyes. Kuro had a feeling he was going to be troublesome. 

Lily ushered them into an unmarked room and closed the door behind them. 

"Let's get started."

The room was all set up. It had a comfy looking bed with fresh sheets, syringes and gauze on a small table with wheels, towels a plenty, and what he assumed was bags of human blood. Everything smelled sterile, like a hospital, and he could see many other medical tools and things practically spilling out of the cabinets lining the walls. This must be the Alicien infirmary, if the tools were anything to go by. 

"Sleepy Ash, let's get him on the bed."

All of Love gestured at Mahiru and went to stand on the far side of the bed. Kuro went to the near side, turned around, and squatted a little to get Mahiru's butt up on the edge of the bed. When he felt he stuck the landing, he let All of Love take hold of Mahiru's shoulders and hold him in a sitting position while he turned around. Together, they brought up Mahiru's limp legs and turned him clockwise. Kuro gently laid his eve down on the fluffy pillows. 

Once the large vampires moved out of the way, Misono  
got a good look at his friend's face. Seeing the blood and the un-Mahiru-like expression, he snapped. He stormed up to the Servamp of sloth and let him have it. 

He shouted insult upon insult and threw weak punches at him. His face was red with anger and the effort it took to keep from crying. He failed as the tears started falling. This agitated him even more so his punches came through a little stronger. Kuro just stood there and took it all. 

Lily was genuinely surprised when his eldest brother did nothing but watch sadly, taking his punishment in total silence. It was as if he felt he deserved it. 

When Misono was finished wailing on Kuro, his lead chair appeared behind him and he gratefully collapsed into it. 

Kuro transformed into his cat form and jumped up on the bed. He padded to his eve's hand and rubbed his furry head against it, missing Mahiru's pats already. 

"All of Love, is there anything you can do to help?"

He sounded so desperate, it broke the Servamp of lust inside. He looked from big brother Sleepy Ash to big brother Lawless, who sat quietly across the room with his eve. Lawless appeared surprised at the emotion in their eldest brother's voice too. If Mahiru didn't pull through, Lily knew the loss would ruin Sleepy Ash.

He went over to the vegetable and began his examination. He flashed a light into the eve's eyes, watching as they went through the transition. He then called his name out and noted the sluggish response. The blood that trailed down Mahiru's face was the most concerning. It smelled much too similar to a vampires for comfort. He had Sleepy Ash taste the blood, and judging by the disgusted look he gave, assumed it didn't taste as it should. 

He then pulled out a small syringe from a drawer. It was rather small and still wrapped in its sterile baggie. He looked pointedly at Sleepy Ash, wordlessly asking for his permission to continue. With his brother's hesitant nod, Lily took the syringe out of the bag and unceremoniously poked Mahiru in the arm just enough to draw blood. 

Wham! 

Before Lily was aware of the change in Mahiru, a foot was planted on his face, forcing him to stumble backwards. He looked up to find said eve crouched on the bed against the wall clutching his glowing blue spear in a defensive position.

Initially the Servamp of lust was extremely confused. Mahiru had not shown any sort of sudden or violent movement since this all started, according to his eldest brother. So then why now? And pulling out his lead in his condition was just another oddity that had the wheels in his brain turning. 

Mahiru fluidly changed his position to an offensive stance and lunged toward Lily, his face not giving away anything. Just as the spear tip came close enough to his chest that he could feel the hum of power from it, the boy was suddenly yanked back. 

Mahiru tumbled off the bed onto the floor in a heap. 

Lily came *this* close to being skewered by one of few weapons in this world that would deal a Servamp serious damage. He let out a relieved breath and backed away from the bed. 

Kuro held tight the contract link connecting him to Mahiru. 

When things were looking south, Kuro transformed back to his vampire form and summoned the contract link. He pulled in the nick of time, saving his younger brother from becoming a pervert on a stick. 

He watched closely as his eve sat up and began pulling and tugging at the circle of light secured around his wrist, trying to get it off. It reminded Kuro of an animal trying to escape its collar. 

When the boy stopped long enough for the Servamp to get a good look at his face, he saw that his pupils were blown and had a faint ring of red around the black. The vacant expression on his face made it look like he was still missing some marbles. Bright red blood rolled down his cheeks with renewed vigor and splattered across the floor when the boy vigorously shook his head. Looking up, his eve stared defiantly at him and grumbled a low growl from his throat. 

 

Wait. His eve just growled at him. *His* eve just *growled* at *him*!?

 

He understood Mahiru wasn't himself right now, but getting growled at was seriously pissing him off. 

Kuro wished he could say he could resist some of his less desirable cat tendencies, but that wasn't the case. Certain traits were just ingrained. It was really conflicting sometimes. Some things that wouldn't bother him as a person would bother the more feline infused aspects of, well, him. He would of course tell anyone otherwise, but he was sure it was obvious to those who paid attention. 

And right now, having someone growl at him like an animal was bringing to light one of his least favorite tendencies: expressing his dominance.

He let some of his anger materialize in the air. Mahiru, having seen the black mass of negativity, stopped growling. The eve began to visibly shake, but his face remained emotionless. Kuro took a step forward and Mahiru scooted backwards, eyes never leaving the vampire's face. 

The boy was still on the floor where he was yanked off of the side of the bed so backing up proved futile when he backed into said bed. Kuro held the contract link taut in his hands so Mahiru couldn't escape around the bed. He took another step forward, his aura bearing down on his impudent eve. 

"Ni-san, I think that's enough..." Lawless called from across the room, bodily guarding his angel alongside Lily, who stood before his much smaller eve. 

Kuro ignored them, much to close to making his eve submit. He stepped forward another step, careful to keep the contract link tight, when a high pitched, pained whine filled the room. Mahiru had curled in on himself, cowering before Kuro. 

A part of him was pleased with himself for making his opponent submit, but the rest of Kuro was instantly guilty and appalled. In his head he berated himself. 

What the hell am I doing?!

He pulled his angry aura back in and lowered himself to the floor.  
"Mahiru?" Kuro called, concern evident in his voice. The boy made a noise he could have sworn was a quiet hiss.

"Is it just me, or is he acting like an animal?"  
Lawless was kicked from behind, causing him to face plant the floor, a scowling Angel-chan appearing in his place.  
"Are manners lost on you too, shit rat?"

Licht walked on the body below him, grinding his heel on the mop of blond hair, before stepping off. 

Misono skirted his Servamp and followed Licht. They both approached Mahiru slowly, who was cowering beside the bed. The angry glare they sent his way was not lost on Kuro when they settled on the floor beside him. 

 

Licht agreed with his Servamp that Mahiru was indeed exuding the air of a skittish animal, so he held out his hand with his fingers pinched together and clicked his tongue like he would a cat or a dog. Misono joined in in the most dignified way a person could coo an animal on the floor. 

The three Servamps in the room shared a look that said:  
"Are they broken too?"

Much to their surprise, Mahiru cautiously sat up and began watching the eves with interest. Brown eyes stared intently, watching for any sudden movements. 

Licht slowly held his hand out further as a sort of invitation. The eve of sloth flinched, but remained seated. Head tilted to the side, Mahiru leaned forward and lightly touched his head to the outstretched hand. 

Kuro loosened up on the contract link when his eve started affectionately nuzzling Angel Chan, but was still wary of him.  
"He's just like a cat. " Licht whispered in awe.

An expressionless cat. Not a single emotion had flitted across Mahiru's features. The only thing that gave Kuro any insight were honey brown eyes that faintly flickered *something* here and there. How Kuro hoped those eyes would remain untainted by unsettling red. 

But then, Kuro never was one to get what he wanted.

Lily kept his distance, in deep thought before abruptly snapping his fingers.  
"It's the animal instinct."  
The Servamp of lust nodded sagely.  
"I think the ratio of blood in his system is off. It would explain the sudden personality change and why his body is attempting to expel blood at such a rate."  
He looked through the notes he had taken examining Mahiru.  
"The warning in our bond serves many purposes, one being to keep the blood ratio within a certain percentage."  
He gestured toward said eve with a grim expression.  
"This is what happens when the ' hailmary ' is successful, but the vampire over indulges. There is far too much vampire blood in Mahiru to function normally. "

Licht and Misono glared at Sleepy Ash, petting their friend absent mindedly. It wasn't till a pur echoed through the room they returned their attention to Mahiru. 

Kuro sighed in relief, briefly closing his eyes. 

In the dark crevices in his mind, black cat sat with a comically large bag of popcorn. 

Why was it there though? It set Kuro on edge, for black cat only appeared to cause grief or to assist in a roundabout sort of way. More often the latter. 

"Why are you closing your eyes, Sleepy Ash? It's just getting good!"  
That monotone voice never ceased to send a shiver up his spine. Black cat took a paw full of popcorn and put it up to its face as if it could get it behind its stitches. 

Kuro opened his eyes to see Lily staring curiously at Mahiru, brows furrowed.  
"Ahh... what a pain. Is there more?" He made sure to sound just as exhausted as he felt. 

"I'm not sure..."  
The Servamp of lust crouched down beside his eve on the floor. Mahiru instantly jerked away, retreating as far as the glowing blue chain allowed, and hissed lowly. 

"The creator mentioned this scenario during research, but the way he described it...I was sure he ment the eve physically become their Servamp's animal, not..."

"POOF!"


End file.
